New Releases for May 13, 2014

Acid Mother’s new album (featuring their original vocalist Cotton Casino) is another set of scorching tracks.

Jay Boy Adams – Let It Go CD (Rockin’ Heart)

New release from the Texas country singer/songwriter and guitarist.

Agalloch – The Serpent & The Sphere CD (Profound Lore)

The most atmospheric and progressive Agalloch release to date, the vibe is dark, expansive and otherworldly. The Serpent & The Sphere features the production and mixing expertise of Billy Anderson (Neurosis, Sleep, Swans, High On Fire); Canadian neo-folk musician Nathanaël Larochette of Musk Ox adds to the album’s acoustic interludes.

Amen Dunes – Love CD/LP (Sacred Bones)

While the previous Amen Dunes records had all been largely improvisational first-take affairs, recorded in a matter of weeks at most, Love is the product of close to a year and a half of continuous work. Damon McMahon (aka Amen Dunes) chose to hold the main recording sessions in Montreal with Dave Bryant and Efrim Menuck of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. In addition to recording the sessions that McMahon produced, members of Godspeed also played on several of the songs, along with Colin Stetson on saxophone and Elias Bender-Ronnenfelt of Iceage, who duets with McMahon on two tracks.

Tori Amos – Unrepentant Geraldines CD/CD+DVD (Mercury Classics)

Out of the flux of ambition and distraction and imagination comes Tori Amos’ 14th studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines. It’s a vivid and vital album on which Amos once more zeroes in on the writing of brightly melodic, deftly evocative chamber-pop. Fairy-tale soul-poems, you might say. Or, a view from the middle-aged bridge. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a bonus DVD featuring video footage from Tori’s photo shoot, studio work and interviews with the artist. Vinyl version due June 10.

Bane have been a mainstay of the hardcore scene for almost 20 years. Produced by Jay Maas and featuring ten new songs, Don’t Wait Up is the band’s final album.

Kishi Bashi – Lighght CD/LP (Joyful Noise)

The violinist/singer/composer presents her new album. Entitled Lighght (pronounced “Light”), it continues and expands the sound of his critically acclaimed debut, 151a – which earned Kishi Bashi the title of “Best New Artist” by NPR.Though violin remains his primary instrument and songwriting muse, he has expanded his palette to include more diverse and nuanced instrumentation. Bright and soaring avant-pop songs are prevalent, as are Eastern-tinged arrangements, gentle ballads, Philip Glass inspired improvisations, and more than a few moments that flirt with ‘70s prog (in the tradition of ELO or Yes).

The Black Keys – Turn Blue CD/LP (Nonesuch)

The Black Keys’ new album was produced by Danger Mouse, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, and features 11 tracks including the first single, “Fever.” Of the new album, the band says Turn Blue could refer to: A: Suffocation, B: Sadness, C: Numbness from extreme cold, D: A Cleveland late night TV host from the 1960s named Ghoulardi, or E: All of the above.

Boondox – Abaddon CD (Psychopathic)

Southern and country-influenced horrorcore hip-hop.

Jeff Burch – Jeff Burch CD (Important)

Two instrumental compositions rendered with an old acoustic guitar and a modular synthesizer. The arrangements shift gracefully from floods of lush string texture to driving guitar and drum motif, from ebbs of brass and deep electric sine wave to thick hazes of clanging din and steely whine.

Cheap Girls – Famous Graves CD/LP (Xtra Mile)

“For the past seven years, Michigan’s Cheap Girls have been consistently churning out infectious, melodic rock and roll records, and their latest effort is no exception.” – Under The Radar

Chromeo – White Women CD/2xLP+MP3 (Big Beat)

The Canadian funk lords serve up another platter of sexy funk, ass-targeting beats, melodic honey, and smart lyrics about the foibles of contemporary love.

The Clientele – Suburban Light [Reissue/2000] 2xCD/LP+CD (Merge)

This double-disc reissue of The Clientele’s early single’s collection features not only the album in its original European track-listing, but also a revelatory set of covers, rehearsals and B-sides that reveal the earliest iterations of the group. And there’s the previously unreleased “Sarah’s Prelude,” too, the lovely, lonely and abandoned opener of an album that stuns, even without the strings.

Cousins – The Halls Of Wickwire CD/LP (Ba Da Bing!)

Cousins’ rock & roll is devastating and joyful, full of love and punk romance.

Cursed Sails – Rotton Society CD (Rise)

These days we see some of the best bands formed from the ashes of groups’ past. Atlanta’s Cursed Sails was assembled by former members of Issues and Woe, Is Me, and they prove this theory to be true. Brothers Ben and Cory Ferris have taken everything they’ve learned from years of experience writing and performing music together.

Dawn Golden – Still Life CD/LP (Downtown)

Dawn Golden is the work of Los Angeles-based producer Dexter Tortoriello. He gained exposure in 2010 when his other (much more serene) project, Houses began getting wide spread attention. Dawn Golden is it’s opposite. Influenced by everything from doom metal bands like Neurosis to avant noise artists such as Xiu Xiu, the songs pound with a calm, but dire urgency.

Devonian Gardens – Solar Shifting CD (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

Calgary’s own Devonian Gardens present carefully crafted garage jams and boisterously spaced out vocal layers on Solar Shifting. Their psychedelic medicine show is ethereal, having toured with Sleepy Sun and Unknown Mortal Orchestra among others, and the album is colorful and filled with interplay, with the ethos of a modern day Airplane, and their sonic strata down to earth but deep in space.

Dio – Live In London: Hammersmith Apollo 1993 2xCD (Eagle Rock)

Filmed at London s Hammersmith Apollo on December 12, 1993 this previously unreleased concert film captures the then newly reformed Dio on the last night of their European tour in support of the Strange Highways album. With a line-up of Ronnie James Dio (vocals), VinnyAppice (drums), Jeff Pilson (bass) and Tracy G (guitar) the band delivered a blistering performance on tracks from their new album, previous Dio classics and favorites from Ronnie’s career with Black Sabbath and Rainbow. Also available on stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray.

Ned Doheny – Separate Oceans CD/2xLP (Numero)

With no less than a mansion, a state beach, and a three-mile stretch of road bearing his fabled family’s name, Ned Doheny easy-glided into the 1970s on a crest of wealth and privilege. Signposting Ned’s sojourn through the L.A. recording industry were Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Chaka Khan, Graham Nash, “Mama” Cass Elliot, Bonnie Raitt, and David Geffen each a household name both inside and far from southern California. And while no bust of Ned Doheny appears alongside those of his Laurel Canyon brethren in the pantheon of classic rock, it’s not for lack of songwriting abilities.

Eastlink features members from a variety of bands you already love like Total Control, UV Race, Repairs, Lakes and Straightjacket Nation, just to name a few. With four guitars, one drum and two vocalists, they splinter and drench two-note monotonic riffs the rest of us never noticed were right under our noses the whole time. These nine tracks range from harsh, crude, fuzzed-out one-note pounders to droning soundscapes.

John Escreet – Sound, Space And Structures CD (Sunnyside)

Jazz and contemporary improvised music have had numerous iconoclasts, who questioned and reshaped forms that they inherited, and, as an aural tradition, the music develops as these boundary pushers collaborate and share their knowledge, so the future generations of musicians can push ahead. Pianist/composer John Escreet knew that he wanted to perform with just such a musician – the legendary saxophonist Evan Parker – for a long while. He was finally able to find the opportunity to partner Parker with his astounding Trio, featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Tyshawn Sorey.

Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso CD/LP (Partisan)

Sylvan Esso is a collaboration between vocalist Amelia Meath and electronic musician Nick Sanborn. Meath’s powerful voice is front and center, unjoined by fellow harmonizers as it is in her folk group, Mountain Man. Sanborn, who plays bass in the genre-destroying Megafaun, creates intricate, pulsing grooves for Meath’s voice to inhabit. Their self-titled debut a collection of vivid addictions concerning suffering and love, darkness and deliverance arrives as a necessary pop balm, an album stuffed with songs that don’t suffer the longstanding complications of that term.

Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso CD/LP (Partisan)

Sylvan Esso is a collaboration between vocalist Amelia Meath and electronic musician Nick Sanborn. Meath’s powerful voice is front and center, unjoined by fellow harmonizers as it is in her folk group, Mountain Man. Sanborn, who plays bass in the genre-destroying Megafaun, creates intricate, pulsing grooves for Meath’s voice to inhabit. Their self-titled debut a collection of vivid addictions concerning suffering and love, darkness and deliverance arrives as a necessary pop balm, an album stuffed with songs that don’t suffer the longstanding complications of that term.

Jeremy Fisher – The Lemon Squeeze CD (Hidden Pony)

The Lemon Squeeze is Jeremy Fisher’s sixth studio album and the first album written entirely on piano. It is fun, upbeat and sonically diverse. Stylistically he references music from Randy Newman to Billy Joel, with maybe a little Queen and CSNY in between. There are some true-to form rootsy, acoustic-based tracks that you have come to expect from Jeremy, an intimate piano ballad or two, some lush string arrangements and even a track that might be described as a mini rock opera. Vinyl version due May 27.

Florence + The Sphinx – Sumerian Ceremonials CD (Sumerian)

Tribute album to Florence + The Machine featuring covers from Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria), Periphery, Stick To Your Guns, Darkest Hour and more

Frantix – My Dad’s A F**kin’ Alcoholic CD/LP (Alternative Tentacles)

Aurora’s Frantix transfixed the early 1980s punk scene with their unique sound and chaotic live show. The group’s complete recorded works – both EPs plus rare, unreleased and great-sounding demo and live material – are collected here, most tracks appearing for the first time ever.

Front Line Assembly – Echoes [OST] CD (Metropolis)

Echoes is a remix collection of FLA’s favorite modern artists reinterpreting the band’s album Echogenetic. Presented as a 14-song album, Echoes features two new original songs, co-written by Ian Pickering of the Sneaker Pimps, alongside remixes from artists such as Comaduster, Sonic Mayhem, Youth Code, Slighter, Rhys Fulber, HECQ, Henrik Backstrom (of Necro Facility), Blush Response (Joey Blush from Scar The Martyr), Liebknecht (Daniel Meyer), Haujobb, and Techdiff.

Producer, The World’s Freshest – known for connecting with legendary MC’s and crafting classic projects – has linked up with the Gary, Indiana rapper, Freddie Gibbs to bring a new collaboration, and addition to his Tonite Show series, with guest appearances by E-40, Trae Tha Truth, Sir Michael Rocks, and Cousin Fik.

Two of doom metal’s mightiest of feedback-laden riff worshippers – Portland’s Graves At Sea and Cape Fear’s Sourvein – have united in sound, mind and spirit for the ultimate split of earth-smoldering amplifier worship.

Greenleaf – Trails And Passages CD (Small Stone)

Almost by definition, musical side projects aren’t meant to last very long, but rather serve as brief, often one-time departures for musicians otherwise engaged with far more pressing or successful bands — and that’s why Greenleaf has proved itself to be anything but your typical “side project.” Recommended if you like: Dozer, Brain Police, Sasquatch, Graveyard, Monster Magnet, Clutch, Roadsaw, Truckfighters, Lowrider, The Socks.

This 50th anniversary reissue of the original 1964 recording is enhanced with 24-bit mastering and new liner notes by Peanuts historian Derrick Bang.

Guided By Voices – Cool Planet CD/LP (GBV Inc.)

Conceived during the sub-freezing Polar Vortex of 2014, the latest Guided By Voices record is another wineskin full of great songs, recorded in a single proper studio for the first time since their inexhaustible reformation.

Hiss Tracts – Shortwave Night CD/LP (Constellation)

Shortwave Nights is the debut album by Hiss Tracts, a new duo featuring David Bryant (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Set Fire To Flames) and Kevin Doria (Growing, Total Life). The sonic preoccupations of Bryant and Doria are well-documented across many highly acclaimed recordings over the past fifteen years, from the organic, group-based, semi-improvised collage albums of Set Fire To Flames to the glimmering, immersive minimalism of Growing and the more maximalist full-spectrum noise works of Total Life.

Hour Of Penance – Regicide CD/LP (Prosthetic)

Sixth album from the Italian death metal band.

Hunterchild – Hunterchild CD (Temporary Residence)

Along with fellow Dreamers Of The Ghetto alum, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Luke Aaron Jones’ vocals are more arresting than ever, indebted as much to vintage Peter Gabriel, Prince, and Depeche Mode as the rich well of electronic R&B explorations from a similar orbit as James Blake and The Weeknd in their most powerful moments.

Iamsu! – Sincerely Yours CD (Cement Distribution)

Iamsu! has produced and featured on a string of hits. (“Up” by Loverance featuring 50 Cent, “Who Booty” with John Hart, and “Gas Pedal” with Sage The Gemini). He has also cultivated his own movement with HBK Gang and is at the forefront of the West Coast renaissance. For his debut album, Sincerely Yours, Iamsu! called on 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Sage The Gemini, and his HBK Gang to rock alongside him.

Incognito – Amplified Soul CD (Shanachie)

Sixteenth studio album from one of the best funk/jazz/soul/dance outfits in the world.

Michael Jackson – Xscape CD/CD+DVD (Epic)

Eight never-before-heard tracks executive produced by L.A. Reid, along with other producers including Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins and John McClain. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds a DVDdocumentary (L.A. Reid and the producers discuss their experiences on this project). Vinyl version due June 10.

Karnivore – In The Halls Of The Wicked CD (Lake Of Fire Productions)

New album from the Swedish death/thrash metal band.

Killer Be Killed – Killer Be Killed CD (Nuclear Blast)

Debut album from the metal supergroup featuring Max Cavalera (Soulfly) alongside members of Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan and Mars Volta. Vinyl version due May 20.

La Sera – Hour Of The Dawn CD/LP (Hardly Art)

In the summer of 2013, La Sera decamped to a sweltering studio in East Los Angeles with engineer Joel Jerome and banged out the ten songs that would become Hour Of The Dawn – an album that never walks, but runs; a collision of unleashed punk and ’80s power-pop.

For the third installment in RVNG Intl.’s archival series, the tape is wound back to 1970s Seattle, home place of ambient music savant K. Leimer. A Period Of Review unearths unreleased portions of Leimer’s vast archives and highlights the work of a self-taught visionary whose use of generative compositions ferried his music to infinite resonance.

Craig Leon – Nommos[Reissue/1981] CD (Superior Viaduct)

First appearing incongruously on John Fahey’s Takoma label in 1981, Nommos remains enshrouded in impenetrable mystery—from its understated artwork to the rich assemblage of analog synths contained inside. According to Head Heritage, Nommos is the “missing link between the proto-industrial rhythm and drone of Suicide and the whole minimalist drone / static / repetition method of Terry Riley and La Monte Young.” Vinyl version due July 23.

Lewis – L’Amour [Reissue/1983] CD (Light In The Attic)

In 1983, a man named Lewis recorded an album named L’Amour, which was released on the unknown label R.A.W. And that’s about all we know. The ingredients are simple: smooth synthesizers, feather-light piano, ethereal, occasionally inaudible vocals and the gentle plucking of acoustic guitars. But the effects are arresting: a spine-tingling, sombre album that echoes Springsteen’s Nebraska or Angelo Badalamenti’s atmospheric soundtracks. Later, Arthur Russell would grasp for something similar on the epochal World Of Echo LP. Vinyl version due June 24.

Little Dragon – Nabuma Rubberband CD (Loma Vista)

Musically inspired by the more experimental pockets of Prince’s back catalogue, club culture and the vintage Janet Jackson slow jams singer Yukimi Nagano used to listen to wandering around Gothenburg during the unrelenting winter, Nabuma Rubberband has a different feel to previous Little Dragon albums.

Mad Caddies – Dirty Rice CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)

Like well-seasoned wayfarers, the Mad Caddies have spent years roaming the musical landscape and thoughtfully collecting ingredients from the varied regions they encounter. A scoop of reggae, a pinch of ska, a dash of Dixieland, a splash of ragtime, all mixed into a punk-rock stock and finished with a dollop of pure melodies; the Caddies cook up an olio of music like no other.

Major Lazer – Apocalypse Soon CDEP/LP (Secretly Canadian)

For Apocalypse Soon, Major Lazer (led by Grammy nominated Diplo) has recruited some big names to collaborate on the 5-track EP, including Pharrell Williams and Sean Paul as well as Machel Montano, RDX, Moska and Mr. Fox.

Walter Martin – We’re All Young Together CD/LP (Family Jukebox)

Walter Martin, known for his work with The Walkmen, releases his debut solo album – a playful collection of family-friendly folk songs. The album features Nick Zinner and Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Matt Berninger (The National), Kat Edmonson, Hamilton Leithauser and Matt Barrick (The Walkmen).

Dave Mason – Future’s Past CD/LP (Something Music)

A collection of rerecorded classics and new originals.

John Mayall – A Special Life CD (Forty Below)

New album from the godfather of British blues. As 2013 came to a close and with his 80th birthday mere weeks away, John Mayall quietly entered a North Hollywood studio with his band, special guest C.J. Chenier and co-producer/engineer Eric Corne. He walked out with one of the most personal records of his career.

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes – Are We Not Men We Are Diva CD/LP (Fat Wreck Chords)

As the name of the album implies, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes’ latest offering tackles the soaring refrains of 12 of the most beloved divas in music. Celine, Cher, Madonna, Christina, Boy George – all the greats, done up in the way that only the pop punk prima donnas from the Gimmes can.

Mimicking Birds – Eons CD (Glacial Pace)

Eons feels as expansive as its title thanks to the help of producer Jeremy Sherrer (The Gossip, 1776). He helped weave some gorgeous electronic textures into the songs – listen for the skittering programmed beat that helps carry “Owl Hoots” forward, or the swells of keyboards that pull closing track “Movin’ On” towards an ’80s pop sunrise. Vinyl version due June 3.

Mirah – Changing Light CD (Absolute Magnitude/K Records)

On her fifth solo album, Mirah breaks it down and builds it back up again with the street smarts that only years behind the wheel of love can inspire. Ready with the maps and driven to the rhythms on the radio dial, Changing Light‘s ten songs carry us from heartbreak to wholeness and all the places in between. Vinyl version due June 24.

Mushroomhead – The Righteous & The Butterfly CD/LP (Megaforce)

Recorded in Cleveland, Mushroomhead’s eighth album consists of 14 tracks ranging from songs about survival and balance to emotionally charged anthems to a riff heavy rendition of Adele’s #1 hit “Rumor Has It.”

Only Crime –Persuance CD/LP+CD (Rise)

Only Crime is a combination of five veterans of the punk/hardcore scene who have pooled their collective experience to make a truly refreshing musical statement. Featuring members of rock legends The Descendents, Good Riddance, Bane and Modern Life Is War.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Days Of Abandon CD/LP (Yebo)

The Brooklyn indie pop stalwarts present their eagerly anticipated third LP after two critically acclaimed records that demonstrated the group’s ability to shift musical registers from bedroom pop daydreams to Alternative Nation anthems.

Dolly Parton – Blue Smoke CD/LP (SME Masterworks)

Blue Smoke is an all new studio album with most tracks written by Dolly that also features duets with Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers and covers of Bon Jovi’s “Lay Your Hands On Me,” and Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice.” Itreflects the character of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee where Dolly grew up and has a tone that harkens back to her rootsy, back-to-basics albums.

13 songs, and 13 dub versions, produced by Lee Perry and UK Producer Daniel Boyle at the Rolling Lion Studio. Lee Perry is back on the controls, using the very same effects units and equipment from his Black Ark studio in Jamaica, to produce a selection of deep roots rhythms and original Lee Perry Dub versions.

Prong – Ruining Lives CD (Steamhammer)

From the first riff-assault of the opener “Turnover,” Ruining Lives takes you on an angst-filled roller coaster ride that marries some very old school, Beg To Differ -elements with post-punk, industrial metal, hardcore thrash, all the while retaining a modern and current feel. Available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe adds bonus tracks. Vinyl version due May 27.

Restorations – LP 2 CD (Side One Dummy)

Sophomore album from the Philadelphia indie rock band.

Marc Ribot – Live At The Village Vanguard CD (Pi. Recordings)

Live At The Village Vanguard captures guitarist Marc Ribot in an electrifying set with his trio, featuring bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor.

Buddy Rich – The Solos CD (Lightyear)

Culled from Buddy’s performances in 1976 and 1977, this collection captures Rich at the peak of his power and versatility. The Solos is (as you correctly assumed) is comprised totally of drum solos, and showcases nine of his premiere solo performances, recorded while on worldwide tour with his band.

Doug Rosenberg – Better Than TV CD (Proteus Entertainment)

Doug Rosenberg is a member of the new generation of jazz musicians composing and improvising music for the future. The Chicago Tribune hails his ”fearlessness of spirit and a robustness of tone that seem likely to win him a devoted following in coming years.”

Newly remastered reissue of the debut album by the Greek black metal band, expanded with two bonus tracks.

Elliott Sharp/Terraplane – 4AM Always CD (Enja)

Given Elliott Sharp s reputation as one of the founders of New York City s downtown scene, it is no surprise that his latest offering with Terraplane both harnesses the blues tradition, and moves beyond it.

Sonic Boom – Spectrum [Reissue/190] CD (Space Age)

CD reissue of Pete Kember’s (Spacemen 3) first solo album, originally released in 1990 on Silvertone (Vinilisssimo reissued the vinyl edition in 2012.)

A collection of tracks by composers Steve Jablonsky and Explosions in the Sky.

Candi Staton – Life Happens CD (Megaforce)

Soul music legend Candi Staton’s third foray into Triple A and Americana music, finds her reuniting with legendary producer Rick Hall who produced her Grammy Award nominated early ‘70s hits such as “Stand By Your Man” and “In The Ghetto.” The hard-hitting songs range from country rock and southern soul to low down blues.

Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds In Country Music CD (High Top Mountain)

Metamodern Sounds In Country Music is the follow-up to Sturgill Simpson’s critically acclaimed debut, High Top Mountain. The album title – an allusion to Ray Charles groundbreaking 1962 record, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music – hints at the psychedelic sounds found within. Compared to Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, Simpson explores a more progressive side of outlaw country in his wholly unique and captivating style.

Sunlightsquare – King Yoruba CD (Sunlightsquare)

Recorded in both Havana and London, King Yoruba features the sophisticated and unique vocal styling of Cuban Javier Valera on the fantastic “Afro Boogie Super Hombre.” The album’s huge and exciting brass intricacies are coupled with skillful percussion and the production values that one has have come to expect from Sunlightsquare. The Latin American and Afro-Caribbean influences are here for all to see and experience and are truly eclectic.

Swans – To Be Kind 2xCD/2xCD+DVD/3xLP (Young God)

Swans thirteenth studio album features guest appearances by Little Annie, St. Vincent, Cold Specks, and Bill Rieflin, and is available in Regular and Deluxe editions. Deluxe includes a live DVD. “…a masterpiece of post-rock and experimental composition.” – Consequence Of Sound

After split albums with Aidan Baker, Year Of No Light, and Labirinto, Canada’s thisquietarmy teams up with Belgium’s Syndrome. Musically, this split seems self-evident: both bands share a common view on crafting exhilarating soundscapes, seamlessly blending ambient, drone, and post-rock elements to cathartic climaxes.

Thollem & Chase – Dub Narcotic Session CD (New Atlantis)

A fine document of free improvisations from vanguard pianist Thollem McDonas and master drummer Brian Chase (member of indie rock stalwarts Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Forging allusions to the blues, punk rock, honky tonk, and folk with abstract maximalism and raw technical integrity, this duo creates music that is the sum of its creative parts.

Tobacco – Ultima II Massage CD/2xLP (Ghostly International)

On his third album, Tobacco, the Pennsylvania snake-synth-charmer deepens his approach to aural depravity. At 17 tracks, Ultima II Massage is stacked with beautifully perverse hits from the sickly sticky “Eruption,” to the wobbly demon swaggerer “Face Breakout,” to the distorted punk spazz of “Dipsmack,” to the apocalyptic sepia ambience of “Spitlord.” You may hear disembodied bits of Boards Of Canada, early Def Jam records, and Gary Numan, or maybe just public-access TV and bad VHS dubs of ’80s horror flicks. Or the sun exploding and everything you’ve ever loved melting.

Tom The Lion – Sleep CD (Verve)

Tom the Lion is an enigma. Unafraid to experiment, yet with a gift for classic songwriting, he might just prove to be one of the UK’s singular songwriters, in a lineage of the greats from Nick Drake to Mark Hollis to Thom Yorke.

Vallenfyre – Splinters CD (Century Media)

Featuring member of such heavy metal luminaries as At The Gates, My Dying Bride, Doom and

Paradise Lost, Vallenfyre is that rare death metal gem in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Dave Van Ronk – Dave Van Ronk: Live In Monterey 1998 CD (Omnivore)

A 1998 live performance from the late Greenwich Village folk singer who found posthumous fame earlier this year thanks to the Coen Brothers’ movie Inside Llewyn Davis, whose title character was based loosely on Van Ronk.

Watery Love from Philadelphia play their very own unique style of negative punkrock.

Weatherbox – Flies In All Directions CD (Triple Crown)

Flipping through the pages of the band’s history, one encounters some sordid tales: strained friendships, hairs grayed, vans stolen and flipped, a good old-fashioned “cowboy-stomping” and of course, drug-induced psychosis. Since the release of 2007’s seminal American Art, Weatherbox ignored every warning sign the cosmos hurled in their direction and released batch after batch of unique and personal songs. Vinyl version due May 27.

Levi Weaver – Your Ghost Keeps Finding Me CD/LP (Rock Ridge)

Levi Weaver, currently based out of Nashville, is a seasoned road warrior, covering 50,000 miles in a year. He plays as a one-man band intriguing audiences with his loop pedals, his dual mics, and a violin bow.But more than anything, he is a master storyteller with captivating lyrical integrity and gut-wrenching honesty.

Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate CD/LP (Deathwish Inc.)

Refractory Obdurate is a moving masterwork that shows Wovenhand exploring louder roots hinted at on prior albums. As they maintain their melodious course, “Good Shepherd,” “Field Of Hedon,” and “Hiss,” stomp forth with a newly amplified punk rock heart. While “The Refractory,” “Salome,” and “Obdurate Obscura” each ascend epically into a multi-layered haze.

Young Widows – Easy Pain CD/LP (Temporary Residence)

Disregarding boundaries and pushing forward with a masterful command of post-punk, noise rock, pseudo industrial, and experimental doom, Young Widows emit the intimidating force of a 10-piece with the heart and soul of a classic power trio.

Originally screened in the UK in the summer of 2013 on Channel 4, this hour long documentary follows Bjork and David Attenborough as they investigate and discuss the connection which exists between music and nature. Narrated by Tilda Swinton and inspired by Bjork’s techological project Biophilia, which Attenborough provided a spoken introduction for the film is a unique encounter between two of the most iconic thinkers of our time. This is the first time the two have discussed their mutual love of music and the natural world on screen. Biophilia explores where nature, music, and technology meets.

Dio – Live In London: Hammersmith Apollo 1993 2xCD (Eagle Rock)

Filmed at London s Hammersmith Apollo on December 12, 1993 this previously unreleased concert film captures the then newly reformed Dio on the last night of their European tour in support of the Strange Highways album. With a line-up of Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Vinny Appice (drums), Jeff Pilson (bass) and Tracy G (guitar) the band delivered a blistering performance on tracks from their new album, previous Dio classics and favorites from Ronnie’s career with Black Sabbath and Rainbow. 114 minutes.

Vinyl:

Rita Abatzi – I’m Burning, I’m Burning LP (Mississippi/Canary)

Beautiful and haunting Greek urban songs recorded between 1933 and 1937. A haunting voice accompanied by stunning Greek master musicians.

The thoughtful, hard work that went into Best Of Boiler Room Classiscs has resulted in something truly special, like a Midwestern Tusk made by fun, lovable people who actually get along really well. The album has the subtle, earnest warmth of an album like the Clientele’s Strange Geometry but with the arena-ready grandeur of ELO’s Out Of The Blue.

Drake Bell – Ready Steady Go LP (Surfdog)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Drake Bell is the most popular TV star in Nickelodeon’s history, but his talent goes way beyond acting. With music being his first love, Drake has just made “the most rockin’ and exciting album of his career.” Produced by the legendary Peter Collins.

Big Boys – No Matter How Long The Line At The Cafeteria, There’s Always A Seat [Reissue/1985] LP+MP3 (Modern Classics)

They were, in the memory of Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye, ”Enormous men, decorated jump suits, a horn section, 200 friends onstage singing and dancing.” They were Big Boys by name and by nature – and they had a big effect on US punk culture. When the prevailing trend was for playing hard and fast, this Austin, Texas four-piece played loose and funky. Their cult recordings struck a blend between punk ideology and clever humor, just as the band both railed against and celebrated the hardcore community that bore them.

Broken Twin – May LP (Anti)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Danish artist Broken Twin: the performing moniker of a young and exciting musician, Majke Voss Romme. Her 2012 self-released EP Hold On To Nothing and deeply moving live performances have already begun to cause a stir in the music press. NME declared that “Broken Twin is the most arrestingly beautiful songwriter we’ve heard in aeons,” while Pitchfork selected her for Best New Tracks and stated that “there’s something about the unaffected clarity of Broken Twin that rings true straight away.”

Alice Coltrane – A Monastic Trio [Reissue/1968] LP (Superior Viaduct)

First-time vinyl reissue of one of the great debuts in jazz history, originally released on Impulse in 1968. Showcases her immense talent for fusing spiritual free jazz and new age with classical, Eastern, post-bop and gospel.

Dark Matter – Dark Matter LP (Siltbreeze)

Too cat-like to be reflective, totally immersed in the garage rock impetus, Dark Matter’s flat, gothic psychedelia is equal parts Chills, Television Personalities and Scientists, with the intimacy of Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos or Small World Experience.

Datashock – Keine Oase In Sicht LP (Dekorder)

Datashock, who are now in their eleventh year, are still exploring ”the space of nomadic sounds” and looking for old sources of fresh sounds, unfazed by contemporary musical mirages.

Fis – Iterations LP (Tri Angle)

With the release of his Preparations EP on Tri Angle in late 2013, Fis and his inimitable and wholly original sound was introduced to the wider world. Since he’d first emerged with a series of ultra rare 12″ releases in 2012 on various drum and bass oriented labels the Wellington, New Zealand based producer had quietly been tipped on the underground as one to watch. The praise heaped upon Preparations definitely seemed to justify the hype that had quietly been building behind the man otherwise known as Oliver Peryman.

Flesh Wounds – Bitter Boy 7”+MP3 (Merge)

Rock & roll band from Carrboro NC with Laura King on drums and Dan Kinney and Montgomery Morris on guitars.

Fujiya & Miyagi – Artificial Sweeteners LP (Yep Roc)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Few have offered such a bittersweet taste of pop through their career as Fujiya & Miyagi; underneath the sticky wrappers that have packaged their sugary synth lines and rich hooks since the turn of the Millennium, there’s always been a grittier aftertaste. Reaching back to the influences that got them into dance music in the first place, beach parties, warehouse raves in their native Brighton, early Warp Records and Carl Craig, the group wrote at an unchartered prolificacy, revelling in digging out their old samplers and synths and sizing them up against the digital technology they continue to explore the limits of.

“Love these guys. Just love them. This is a bubbly, ecstatic mess of an album, in every good way… It’s all over the place; a dig around a wet pit of transcendentalism, an overflowing tub of funny jelly” – Freq.org.uk. “Imagine God tripping over a cloud and dropping all of his rainbows at once.”

Meatbodies – Wahoo b/w Steps 7” (In The Red)

This is the debut single by the Meatbodies (formerly known as Chad & The Meatbodies) after having a cassette release on Ty Segall’s God? label and a split single with Ty Segall on the Famous Class label. Fuzzed-out heavy psych rock.

Royal Blood is a British garage blues/rock duo formed in Brighton, UK.

Sean Nicholas Savage – Bermuda Waterfall LP (Arbutus)

“Bermuda Waterfall = invisible action, unconscious fertilization, the subconscious master plan continuum much of the words to Bermuda (which i feel are the center piece) were written whilst travelling between one place I loved and another place/people I loved, and trying to describe my most potent dreams related to my most potent life experiences. There was a feeling of disappointment in communication with the people that I’m calling out to connect with through my performances and travels in the last year, a feeling of loneliness.

Sculpture – Membrane Pop LP+MP3 (Software)

In Sculpture’s hands, tape manipulation, samples, found sounds, aleatoric and algorithmic programming and live improvisation become more complementary than you might imagine. They draw from experimentalism to promote new potentials for pop and electronic music in an age where many of our sci-fi fantasies have become mundane occurrences. Experimental music doesn’t have to be dark, difficult or joyless. They try to make something playful, abd maybe a little absurd. Yellow vinyl.

Dylan Shearer – garagearray LP (Castle Face)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Cut from the cloth of early Soft Machine and Kevin Ayersisms, garagearray is a lofty, loopy flight in a candy-flossclouded sky, with an ever-present darkness just below the surface. It’s wonderfully off the cuff, at times reminiscent of a Syd Barrett session where the band must’ve just closed their eyes and felt it out in the dark, coming together in all the right moments in the nick of time.

Vinyl reissue of Staple Singers’ first three LPs (originally released on Vee Jay). Three of the greatest masterpieces of gospel music.

The String Cheese Incident – The Song In My Head 2xLP (Loud & Proud)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Produced by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, This Song In My Head is the jam band’s first album of new material in nine years.

Tomahawk – M.E.A.T. 7” (Ipecac)

Two tracks that didn’t make their 2013 opus, Oddfellows.

Various Artists – Ghost Women Blues LP (Mississippi)

A compilation of absolutely must-have country blues. Well-known artists playing their signature songs plus more obscure musicians. Includes Bukka White, Lottie Kimbrough, George Carter, Willie Brown, Monroe Moe Jackson, and many more.

Watery Love – Sick People b/w I Don’t Care 7” (In The Red)

Here the band deliver cover versions by 80’s hardcore band Breakdown and the Ramones. Both are given the sludgy, pummeling treatment that the band has become known for.

Pharrell Williams – G I R L LP (Columbia)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. G I R L is Pharrell’s new album, and features the hit single, “Happy.”

Yob – The Great Cessation [Reissue/2010] 2xLP (Southern Lord)

One of the heaviest and most respected bands in metal, Yob are renowned for their unique brand of epic, crushing sludge doom. This is the gatefold deluxe HQ-180gm vinyl reissue of their 2009 album. Limited copies pressed on silver vinyl.

Yo La Tengo – Fakebook [Reissue/1990] LP (Bar None)

Originally released in 1990, Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook is considered by many to be among their best efforts. It is Yo La Tengo “Unplugged” working out on a handful of original’s and a number of obscure would-be hits from the likes of The Kinks, John Cale, the Flamin’ Groovies, and Daniel Johnston.